Interior Designers
Designing an interior in a period building is a different exercise from designing one in a new building, because the room already has proportions, light, joinery and mouldings that the scheme has to work with rather than against. The designers in this category work on listed and period properties, where the practical constraints are real: fixtures form part of the listed building, services cannot be run wherever convenient, and much of what looks like decoration is historic fabric. The best schemes usually come from understanding the building before the mood board.
What this category covers
- Interior schemes for listed and period properties
- Colour, finish and material selection suited to historic rooms
- Furniture layout and lighting within existing proportions
- Coordination with joiners, decorators and specialist trades
- Working within consent constraints on historic fixtures
Christiana Kehrer Interiors
Christiana Kehrer Interiors is a London interior designer working on high-end residential ...
Designing inside a period building
Start with what the room is. Ceiling height, window proportion, cornice and skirting profiles and the position of the chimneypiece already set the scale of everything else, and schemes that ignore them tend to look temporary however good the individual pieces are.
Know what is protected before drawing. In a listed building, panelling, plasterwork, chimneypieces, staircases, shutters and fitted joinery are part of the listing, and removing or altering them requires consent. That constraint is much easier to design around than to design past.
Plan services early. Sockets, lighting, heating and audiovisual routes are where interior design collides with historic fabric, and the decisions get made on site by an electrician if they are not made on a drawing first.
Prefer reversible interventions. Freestanding rather than fitted, surface-fixed rather than chased, and finishes that can be removed leave the building as it was and generally attract far less resistance at consent stage.
Questions to ask
Can I make significant changes to a listed building's interior?
Changes are possible, but interiors are covered by the listing, so removing or altering fixtures such as panelling, plasterwork, chimneypieces and staircases requires Listed Building Consent. Schemes that work with the existing fabric are both easier to consent and usually better.
How do I fit modern services into a period room?
By planning routes before work starts, using existing voids and floor voids, keeping chasing to a minimum, and accepting some surface-run services in less sensitive areas. Reducing the number of outlets by planning furniture positions helps considerably.
Do period rooms have to be decorated historically?
No. Contemporary schemes work well in historic rooms where they respect proportion, light and the existing detail. What matters at consent stage is the effect on historic fabric, not the style of the decoration.
All 4 businesses listed under Interior Designers
- Christiana Kehrer Interiors Greater London
- Gemma Wright Design Bristol
- Pascoe Interiors West Sussex
- Paul Bonnici Design Berkshire
Directory information is provided to help visitors identify potentially relevant specialists and suppliers. Inclusion does not constitute a recommendation, approval or guarantee by Tuscan Foundry Products. Please check current services, credentials, availability and suitability directly with each business.